I just have a little complaint sorta. Though not a male survivor, I am a survivor of sexual abuse. I was looking for sites to link from my site and came across this one. While my fiance is also a survivor of sexual abuse, I took an interest in this site to see what it was about before I passed it along to him. I noticed the definition on the front page of sexual abuse says...

I dont think thats correct. It doesnt have to be between a child and an adult. It can be between an adult and another adult or a child and another child. It doesnt have to be an adult and a child. Thats the only thing I disagree with on the site. Other than that, awesome job. Im glad men have a great place to come and discuss things without feeling judged, etc. Props to who started the site and everyone involved. Good luck to you all.

Thank you both for what you've written. I was abused by my brother when he was ages 9-13 (and I was 6-9 or so)...at least that's what I remember. This is the first time I've actually heard someone else mention that they were abused by another kid. I hate to say it, that gives me some hope. I don't feel as isolated even within this community! Sorry to sound so sappy about that, but there you go!

God bless!

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"By way of trials and sufferings we must purify the divine image in us...for it is by reforging our senses in the furnace of our trials that we free them from defilement and assume our royal dignity. --Abba Philimon

I think you're right. Sexual abuse and rape doesn;t have to be between an adult and child. Children, Sadly as you guys have pointed out, abuse other children and adults (men and women) get raped. I've suffered both.

Maybe the meaning should read "unwanted or forced - through physical threats, intimidation, or mental/emotional manipulation - sexual contact between two or more people."

Just a thought. It may be overly complicated, but someone less verbose than I can edit it.

No, according to the things that I have read (including some laws), it should read: ANY and ALL sexual contact that occurs without consent. Including people who are not capable of giving consent whether it be legally (children), or for ANY other reason including people in hospitals, nursing homes, medications, drugs, alcohol, sleeping, coerced through manipulation or threats, forced physically, etc. etc..

Sexual Assault, is ANY unwanted sexual contact. The law recognizes (where it does supposedly recognize any) multiple levels of SA including multiple levels of rape. Part of the ignorance is the common belief that the only kind of rape that occurs is a violent act that men do in dark alleys to women, or what priests do to boys. Those jokes in newspapers are so sickening. It must be completely devastating to the people who have actually been abused by the clergy. I know it sickens me seeing it on the news and seeing that even though the behavior is being openly admitted because of investigations being held by the police and the church, NOTHING is still being done about it. The truth is that the majority of all SA's that occur, including rape, the victum knows the assaulter. Quite often they trust them, or have been told to trust them, or the assaulter is someone with authority that you have been tought to respect or fear, like a relative, a parent, the clergy, the police, etc. etc. etc.. The numbers that I am coming across are as many as 1 in 6 men or boys are assaulted. These are probably highly skewed because of the social reasons that many people here on this board are very well aware of. As always, the numbers also vary from source to source.

I should also add that giving consent for contact of any kind once does not infer that consent is permanent or applies to other types of contact. I don't know anything about the laws anywhere except where I live. Here, the laws exist. The police and the courts do not enforce them, and society ignores it all until it effects them personally, or until it's sensationalized by the press and violent.

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"Every child asks the questions which hold the answers to the secrets of the universe, WHAT?, and WHY?". --Me

I'm going to rewrite the definition. Your suggestions are helpful and I hope I can do it without getting too wordy.

Btw, when I do training for professionals (as well as define sexual abuse for abusers in treatment) I use definitions of "consent", "coercion", "cooperation", and "compliance".

Here they are:Consent - When a partner freely agrees to do something. This person must understand what the behavior is all about without being tricked or confused. The partner must know what is acceptable in the culture, family and peer group and must also be aware of the possible consequences for him/herself and others, as well as alternatives to the behavior. It has to be OK to say no with no worries about negative consequences. Partner must be mentally competent (of equal intelligence and not under the influence of alcohol or drugs). Legally, there is no such thing as consent for children if the other person is more than four years older. That means the older person cannot excuse his/her behavior by saying the child agreed to it. Many people on probation for sexual offenses are in their 20s and had sex with a 14 or 15 year old they considered a girlfriend. The fact that there may have been a relationship and the girl may have agreed to be sexual does not change the legal definition of this as (statutory) rape. Healthy, equal relationships almost always involve consent.

Coercion - Using tricks, bribes, force, threats, or intimidation to get someone to go along with what you want them to do. This is usually how someone gets a child to participate in sexual behaviors. Offering to give video games, threatening to tell something on the other person if he/she doesn’t go along with it, and “wrestling” to get a sexual touch are all forms of coercion. Coercion is the tool to get someone to comply or cooperate.

Compliance - When someone simply goes along without actively resisting even though he/she may think it is wrong and doesn’t want to participate. You can probably think of times when you went along with something you didn’t want to do just because others were doing it or suggesting it. Maybe you didn’t want to look “wussy” or you were concerned about fitting in so you went along with whatever was expected. You might not have felt it was OK or acceptable to say no. Just because you didn’t say no and went along with it didn’t mean you thought it was an OK thing to do.

Cooperation - When someone participates and doesn’t know or understand the consequences or meaning of the activity. Young children may cooperate, but they have no understanding of sexual behaviors.

I don't know whether this should also be posted (may get too confusing). Perhaps just defining consent and coercion?

Kenwithout getting into the difference between UK and US law, I was 'first' abused at 11yo by a boy of 13yo. He took advantage of a situation where he knew I wasn't able to do or say anything at that moment.

After that he upped the stakes, and the sexual contact became more. (anal sex ) Then he introduced me to his friend who was also 13yo and they both abused me.When I backed off, I was beaten and raped by the whole gang of six boys. Cooperation from then on was guaranteed.

This ( the early stuff before the gang rape that was the result of coercion ) had nothing to do with sexual exploration, that happened as well ! I don't count that stuff.In total I consider that I've had six older boys as abusers, and one adult. ( I also had a sexual encouter at about 4yo when a man held my hand and masturbated him, but again I rarely count that for some reason ) But if I counted the male people that I've had some kind of sexual contact with it would be double that at least. ( and many more while acting out as an adult )

In a closed situation like a boarding school 'experimentation' will take place. And I can honestly say that I never initiated it, and having said that, is a single act of mutual masturbation initiated by an older boy abuse ?

Perhaps it is, and in the scale of things ( my personal experiences ) the one off wank comes so far down the list I never bothered to count it.But what if it was initiated by the older boy because he knew that I was having 'regular sex' with the gang ? I suppose then that he would have taken advantage of me because of that knowledge, and that's abuse.

SA between closely aged boys is a minefield, I know that one man in our therapy group was masturbated once by a boy 3 years older than him at the time.And the results he displays as an adult are classic - he's one of the worst affected guys in our group and it IS down to this one instance of masturbation.Just the sort of incident I have discounted.

Perhaps the difference lies in the abuse of power rather than a 'minor' sexual act.If I had said "fuck off !" to these 'one off abusers' I think they would have left me alone, and maybe because I sensed that I then 'chose' to enjoy the sex - because no threats, coercion or trickery was involved.The guy in our group was thumped on the nose then masturbated when he was 13, that was an abuse of power. Perhaps if the older boy had asked and he had 'agreed', then it would have passed off as 'experimentation' and he wouldn't need to be in our group ?

Dave

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Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.Henry David Thoreau

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